The Independent Review of the Fire Service, sometimes referred to as the Bain Report or IRFS was a wide-ranging report carried out by Professor Sir George Bain, in 2002, at the request of the government, into the how Fire and Rescue Services were operated and managed; and about the working conditions of firefighters in the UK.
On publication, its authors said the report: "sets out our recommendations for how the service should change in the future to meet the demands of the twenty-first century.
"[2] The report prompted a prolonged period of industrial action in the UK by firefighters, the first national strike since 1977.
The Bain report made several recommendations, that led to wide ranging changes in the approach to fire and rescue authorities (FRS) in the UK.
[3] It prompted a white paper[4] that led to a change in the primary legislation for the operation of FRS.